Amplify Publishing Group

What Amplify Publishing Group does

Amplify Publishing Group (APG) is an independent hybrid book publisher founded in 2003 and headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. The company operates five imprints — Amplify Publishing (business and leadership), RealClear Publishing (politics, in partnership with RealClear Media Group), 100 Coaches Publishing (executive coaching and motivational speaking), SBJ Publishing (sports business, a joint venture with Sports Business Journal), and Thinkers50 (management ideas) — and has published more than 399 titles across nonfiction categories. APG's hybrid publishing model requires authors to finance editorial, design, printing, and promotional services while retaining intellectual property, creative control, and the majority of revenue (e.g., 85% in the SBJ model), with APG retaining the publisher share plus collecting service fees.

Name

Amplify Publishing Group

Legal name

Amplify Publishing Group

Website

https://amplifypublishinggroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Amplify Publishing Group is an independent hybrid book publisher founded in 2003 in Herndon, Virginia, operating five imprints — Amplify, RealClear, 100 Coaches, SBJ, and Thinkers50 — to publish nonfiction for business executives, thought leaders, and subject-matter experts, with authors financing production and retaining IP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Publishing Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Personal Finance & Careers Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI), Author Marketing, PR & Launch Services (Ads, Book Tours, Influencers) (MPAJAJAL), Self-Publishing Distribution Aggregators (Wide E-book/Audiobook/Print) (MPAJAJAC), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Hybrid book publishing
• Book production services
• Editorial design services
• Book distribution services
• Author marketing publicity

Headquarters

HQ city

Herndon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (Print and Digital): APG generates revenue through direct sales of published books via its e-commerce platform. Authors receive a portion of revenue while APG retains the remainder as publisher share. The company offers various formats including hardcover, paperback, and eBook versions.
2. Hybrid Publishing Services: As a hybrid publisher, APG charges authors for production services including editorial, design, printing, and promotion. Authors finance the editorial, design, printing and production and promotion of their books, while retaining intellectual property and creative control of their work.
3. SBJ Publishing Joint Venture Revenue: Sports Business Journal Publishing, a joint venture with Amplify Publishing Group, operates under a hybrid model where authors pay licensing fees and production costs. Authors retain all intellectual property and keep 85% of revenue from sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Amplify Publishing Group is a hybrid book publisher that produces nonfiction books for thought leaders, executives, and subject matter experts across multiple imprints (business, politics, sports, leadership, management). Authors finance editorial, design, printing, and promotion costs while retaining intellectual property and creative control, and the company provides comprehensive publishing services including ghostwriting, editorial, graphic design, production, distribution, marketing/publicity, and book launch coordination.

Product overview

Amplify Publishing Group operates as a hybrid book publisher with a portfolio of five distinct imprints—Amplify Publishing (business/leadership), RealClear Publishing (politics/current affairs), 100 Coaches Publishing (motivational speaking), SBJ Publishing (sports business journal, a joint venture with Sports Business Journal), and Thinkers50 (management ideas)—alongside a comprehensive suite of publishing services including ghostwriting, editorial support, graphic design, production, distribution, marketing, and book launch coordination. The company follows a hybrid publishing model where authors co-invest in production costs while retaining intellectual property and creative control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Amplify Publishing: Core business book publishing imprint focused on thought leadership
• RealClear Publishing
• 100 Coaches Publishing
• SBJ Publishing
• Thinkers50

Products and services

• Amplify Publishing

Quantifiable outcome

• Authors have been featured in Fortune magazine and Kirkus Reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• RealClear PoliticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint publishing imprint partnership with RealClear Media Group to publish political books. RealClear Politics is a leading political news website. The partnership disseminates bold ideas contributing to America's civic discourse.
• 100 Coaches PublishingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with 100 Coaches Agency to publish books for the executive coaching and motivational speaking community. APG provides publishing expertise while 100 Coaches provides access to its network of coaches and thought leaders.
• Sports Business JournalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with Sports Business Journal to publish sports business books under the SBJ Publishing imprint. Since 1998, SBJ has been recognized as the authority on sports business. Authors gain access to SBJ's audience and brand credibility.
• Thinkers50majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Thinkers50, described as the leading authority in management ideas, to publish books on management thinking and leadership ideas.
• Gotham GhostwriterssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerGhostwriting agency partnership providing authors access to professional ghostwriting services as part of APG's comprehensive publishing offerings.
• Speak BrandsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital marketing agency partnership to support author platform development and promotional campaigns.
• CicoSpacesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerVideo production agency partnership to support author video content creation for book launches and promotional materials.
• Thought Leadership LeveragesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThought leadership consulting partnership to provide authors with additional strategic guidance on building their thought leadership platforms.
• Caraballo & Co.supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPublishing strategists partnership providing authors with strategic guidance on publishing decisions and book positioning.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Greenleaf Book Group: Independent hybrid publisher offering similar author-paid production services, distribution, and marketing for business and nonfiction authors. Operates a comparable model with author IP retention and revenue share, making it the closest direct competitor to APG in the hybrid publishing space.
• Archway Publishing: Hybrid publishing imprint of Simon & Schuster offering author-paid publishing services across fiction and nonfiction. Directly comparable business model with the added credibility of a Big Five parent, making it a primary alternative for APG's target author segment.
• BookBaby: Self-publishing services company providing editing, design, printing, and distribution for independent authors. Adjacent rather than identical—BookBaby is more self-service and lower-priced—but competes for the same author-services wallet share.
• Page Two Strategies: Book packaging and publishing services firm working with thought leaders and executives on nonfiction titles. Comparable in serving the business thought leadership publishing segment and operating a similar service-plus-royalty model.
• Lulu Press: Open self-publishing platform offering print-on-demand, distribution, and author services globally. Competes with APG for independent nonfiction authors, particularly in the lower-priced service tier.

Emerging players

• Matt Holt Books (Wiley Imprint): Hybrid publishing imprint of John Wiley & Sons focused on business and nonfiction. Provides APG a direct competitive reference point and benefits from Wiley's distribution scale, representing a more institutionally-backed hybrid model.
• Disruption Books: Hybrid publisher focused on business and self-help titles with author-paid production and revenue share. A smaller, more focused competitor in the same business thought leadership category APG targets with its core Amplify Publishing imprint.

Others

• IngramSpark (Ingram Content Group): Self-publishing distribution platform owned by Ingram, providing print-on-demand and distribution to retailers. Functions as an infrastructure provider that APG and many hybrid publishers leverage rather than compete with directly.

Broad incumbents

• Simon & Schuster: One of the Big Five traditional publishers, with a broad catalog across all major genres. Represents the incumbent model APG's hybrid offering is partially substituting; also parent of Archway Publishing, a direct hybrid competitor.
• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): Amazon's free self-publishing platform for ebooks and print-on-demand paperbacks. Represents the dominant low-cost alternative to hybrid publishing and the primary competitive threat to APG's author-services value proposition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amplify-pub-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Amplify Publishing Group